Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory...forever and ever. -Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
Yesterday, a friend and I were talking about how battling cancer has affected my ministry. For the sake of this devotional, let me just say that it's not something that I ever want to go through again (not that I have a choice), but I am able to look back and see that God used my experience in ways that brought people together and brought glory to God.
In today's suggested reading, Paul is in prison. I'm guessing that if Paul had his preferences, he'd rather not be in jail. But Paul is able to see that despite being a prisoner, despite going through a very difficult time, God has used Paul's experience to bring people together and to bring glory to God.
Paul's faith in difficult circumstances is amazing. He is a prisoner of the Roman government, but in Paul's mind he is only a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He may be in a prison cell, but it's only because he was willing to share the good news of God's love and he's been able to continue doing that despite his incarceration. He may be a captive, but he is able to approach God with freedom and confidence (v 12). He is not discouraged because God has used his hardship in ways that furthered the kingdom.
I suspect that some reading this devotional today feel trapped or imprisoned. Maybe it's an illness or a dead-end job. You'd rather not be in that situation and I don't blame you. But my prayer today would be that God would grant you the grace to see, even in this unfortunate time in your life, that God is at work in redemptive ways. I'm praying that God will be able to do immeasurably more than you can could ask or imagine with His power that is in you.
If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Ecclesiastes 7-9 and Ephesians 4.
No comments:
Post a Comment